Jacob fierz



(No Model.)

J. FIERZ. DEVICE FOR CLEANING PIPES.

No. 578,142. Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

INVENTOR IIIIII'AIIII f'.'. T I, "H

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m m n A UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JACOB FIERZ', OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR CLEANING PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,142, dated March 2, 1897.

A li ti fil d October 21, 1896. Serial No- 6 09,549. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB FIERZ, of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Cleaning Pipes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improved means for cleaning the bores of pipes, and more particularly for removing viscid and ropy deposits that are liable to accumulate on the interior surface of pipes employed to conduct beer and other malt liquors from the original packages, such as kegs or casks, to the draw-faucets, Where such liquors are dispensed.

It is well known that malt liquors have a tendency to deposit impurities on the inner surfaces of pipes through which such liquids are conveyed for tapping the casks, and that such deposits, if allowed to remain any considerable length of time, greatly injure the flavor of the malt liquor drawn through the unclean pipes.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device of novel construction which will afford convenient means for quickly cleaning one or more malt-liquordispensing pipes and permit similar pipes of a dispensing plant to be used while the operation of cleaning the other pipes is being conducted.

The invention consists in the novel specific details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a partly-sectional side elevation of the pipe-cleansing device in position for service. Fig. 2 is a detached side view of a triple-branched connection for the pipe-cleaning device, and Fig. 3 is a detached side view of a branched connection having two outlets for the attachment of liquor-dispensing pipes.

In the drawings illustrating the application of the improvement, 10 represents a plurality of malt -liquor dispensing pipes which are shown in part, said portions of the pipes being adapted for a sealed attachment upon the I multiple branch pipe 11.

The branch pipe 11, which constitutes-an essential feature of the invention, consists of a preferably metal tubular piece having a plurality of outlets arranged at intervals along one side thereof, said outlets being in the form of open nipples a, that are each threaded for reception of a union-nut 12, which nuts are adapted to respectively secure in a detachable manner the lower extremities of the dispensing-pipes 10 upon the outlets mentioned, and are preferably provided with lateral winged projections to facilitate their manipulation and permit an attachment of said nuts upon the nipples without the use of a wrench. A washer a is introduced between the end of each nipple a and the union-nut thereon to effect a tight joint with but little screw-pressure.

A liquid-holding receptacle 13 is provided, preferably, inthe form of a strong cask, and in one head 14 of said cask a conically-reamed aperture is formed for the introduction therein of the tapered body of the hollow coupling-plug 15.

At one side of the plug 15 a branch inletb is formed for the connection of an air-supply pipe 16 therewith, which pipe, that is shown broken, is in service extended to any suitable air-supply under pressure, and a valve 16 is introduced in said pipe near the plug 15.

The air-supply pipe is preferably connected with the branch inlet b by a winged nut 19, so that a connection may be made without tools. The larger and normally upper end of the coupling-plug 15 is mainly closed by an integral head-wall that is centrally perforated and threaded therein for the reception of a screw-threaded gland 17, from which project the handles 0 or equivalent protuberances that afford means for manually adjusting the gland in the head of the plug.

The gland 17 is bored to receive through its longitudinal axis the true cylindrical body of the hollow lift-pipe 18, which is of such a length as will permit its lower end to nearly contact with the lower head of the cask 13 when parts of the device are assembled for use.

The lower end of the lift-pipe 18 is mainly closed, and in this end wall as well as near the same a number of spaced small perforations d are formed for the passage of liquid from the cask into the lift-pipe.

There is a suitable valve 19 secured upon the upper end of the lift-pipe 18 above the gland 17 and a suflicient distance therefrom to permit a free manipulation of each, as occasion may require.

From the upper end of the valve 19 a threaded stem 6 projects,whereon the handled coupling-nut 20 is screwed, and said nut in turn receives the flanged lower end of a threaded nipple g,which at its upper end has a screwed engagement with the T shaped fitting 21.

The valve 22 is introduced in the pipe 23, that is screwed at one end into the lateral outlet of the T-fitting 21, and said pipe is to be extended to a clean-water supply under pressure. Preferably the pipe 23 is connected with the valve 22 by a threaded nipple and winged nut 24, as indicated in Fig. 1.

There is a pipe connection h screwed into the upper outlet of the T-fitting 21 and also into a threaded inlet or nipple a that is formed on the multiple branch pipe 11, pref erablynearits longitudinal center and on the side opposite from the nipples a, which arrangement of parts serves to project the dispensing-pipes 1O upwardly for convenient attachment to draw-faucets or the like that may be in an apartment above the described apparatus.

There is a gum washer i inserted within the hollow coupling-plug when the lift-pipe 18 is to be inserted therein, and said washer is of such relative dimensions that when the lift-pipe is passed through the same from the upper side of the washer the latter will be forced at its periphery into close contact with the inner side of the hollow plug above the branch Z2 and be seated upon an annular flange that projects inwardly from the wall of the coupling-plug. The lower end of the adjustable gland 17 is adapted to contact with the upper surface of the washer 2 and it will be seen that the downward pressure thereon of said gland when screwed into the plug 15 will effect an air-tight and watertight joint between the washer, lift-pipe, and hollow plug where it bears upon said parts.

The diameter of the lift-pipe 18 is so proportioned to that of the hollow in the plug 15 at its lower end that an annular space will be provided between the lift-pipe and the plug at the point mentioned, so that air under pressure introduced within the hollow coupling-plug through the air-supply pipe 16 will freely enter the cask 13.

lVhen the improved pipe-cleaning device is to be put into service, the lower ends of the dispensing-pipes 10 that are to be cleaned and which have previously been detached from malt-liquor-holding kegs or casks are coupled by the nuts 12 to the nipples a of the branch pipe 11, which will establish communication between the cask 13 and the dispensing-pipes 10, that have been connected with the branch pipe, as stated.

It is to be understood that previously to the insertion of the co upling-plug 15 into the perforation of the cask-head 14 a suitable quantity of chemically-treated liquid has been placed in the cask 13, and then the plug mentioned is tightly driven into place.

Assuming that the pipe-cleaning device is coupled as explained, a set of dispensingpipes 10 may quickly be thoroughly cleansed by first opening the valve 16 that controls the flow of air in the pipe 16, which will admit air under pressure over the liquid in the cask 13. The cleansing liquid in the cask 13 will obviously be forced up through the liftpipe 18, so that if the valve 19 has been opened while the valve 22 is closed a forcible current of liquid from the cask will pass upwardly through all of the dispensing-pipes 10 that are on the connecting branch pipe 11, if the dispensing-pipes are left open at their upper ends. "W hen the ropy deposit on the interior surfaces of the pipes 10 has been cut loose and removed by the application of the chemically-treated liquid from the cask 13, the valve 19 is closed and the valve 22in the water-supply pipe 23 is opened, which will introduce a current of clean water under pressure above the valve 19, which liquid will pass upward through the connecting branch pipe 11 and the attached dispensing-pipes 10, whereby the latter will be thoroughly cleansed of the chemical wash and be rendered fit for immediate use after the connecting branch pipe 11. has been disconnected therefrom and the dispensing-pipes coupled to service 0011- nections on the malt-liquor casks or kegs.

In Fig. 2 a multiple branch pipe 11 is shown having three outlet-nipples a thereon and a depending inlet-nipple a at the opposite side of the nipples a. This style of the branch connection is available where the dispensing plant is comparatively small, and in case but two of the dispensing-pipes are to be cleaned at one time one outlet-nipple a may be capped by a sealing-nut m, while the remaining two outlets a are connected by suit-able nuts to dispensing-pipes, such as 10, for their renovation, as before described.

In Fig. 3 a connecting branch pipe 11 is shown having but two outlet-nipples a on it, and this connection may be used for cleansing two dispensing-pipes 10, or but one pipe if one nipple a is sealed with a cap-nut, such as is shown at m in Fig. 2.

Either of the connecting branch pipes 11 11 may be utilized for connecting a single malt-liquor cask to two or three liquor-dispensing pipes when it is desired to use the contents of a tapped cask in a short time.

It will be seen that by provision of the improved pipe-cleaning apparatus any desired number of malt-liquor-dispensing pipes 10 within the capacity of the connecting branch pipe 11 may at one time be quickly and thoroughly cleaned out, and delay that frequently occurs when such Work is done in the ordinary manner is avoided by using the improved means hereinbefore described.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent An apparatus for cleaning pipes, comprisin g a receptacle for containing a cleansing liquid, a hollow tapering coupling-plug in with a valve, a branch pipe having a central inlet on its under side and a plurality of nipples on its upper side and with which the pipes to be cleaned are adapted to be connected, a tubular connection between the lift-pipe and the inlet of the branch pipe,

and a cold-water pipe connected with the said connection and provided with a valve, substantially as herein shown and described.

JACOB FIERZ.

Witnesses:

WM. P. PATTON, .TNO. M. BITTER. 

